A Legend of Korra Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)


Summary:

A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]


Notes:

I'm aliiiiiiiive!

Holy crap that was a long time not to have bee able to update. Believe me, I wanted to update this story so badly, but real life...has not been kind.

I actually just recently lost my job (which makes me feel glad I don't have to leave the house during this pandemic, and worried about how I'll be able to pay my bills because of it) and I've been in a slump for a while. I feel like I'm still there but I'm managing a lot better now than I did before. Also, I had a major scare a couple weeks back and I thought I got the virus (thankfully, it was a false alarm! *sigh*).

Anyways, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to that person who gave their support over at ko-fi. That came at the perfect time (also, the note it came with made me happy) and I cannot thank you enough. So, thanks a lot, Kendra (I hope I got your name right, just basing it off the email since ko-fi didn't really provide your name for me) and I hope you like this chapter! :)

Enjoy reading, everyone!
More notes at the end!


The Legend of Korra
The Schism
Chapter 76: Amelioration


Anger, palpable and strong: that was the emotion at the forefront of his mind; it was that which flowed through his veins like blood. Those who worked under him—and those who passed him by—gave him a wide berth for they too sensed that today—as with the days prior—was not a good day to mingle with him.

It was failure after failure. It was like the gods—whoever, whatever, and wherever they may be—were taunting him and spitting on his brilliance.

First Tarrlok escaped and now this? He seethed, glaring at the spot where his mysterious benefactor who had brought him unwelcome news had stood before with the words of the hooded figure echoed in his mind.

"It seems your marionettes were nothing special, Hiroshi Sato," they had said, their voice mocking. "The Earth Queen was most displeased. Her enemies still stand. And now she demands recompense."

A hand—his hand—slammed on the desk before balling into a fist. His knuckles turned white. His eyes blazed with hatred.

"My creations failed? That's preposterous!" Hiroshi's voice had all been but a growl, almost feral sounding, as he spat at the allegations he had just heard. The words of retaliation he had uttered towards his benefactor leaving his lips. "Nothing should have destroyed them! I made sure of that! Their programming should have made them much more versatile in battle than mere humans."

He grabbed his head with both of his hands, not caring if he was aggravating the injury he had sustained when he had been knocked unconscious as he attempted to speak with the disgraced Councilman. His fingers curled around his hair, pulling on them, as his mind frantically searched for what weakness he might have overlooked on his creations.

"Though I do not particularly care for what happens to that pathetic monarch, I do agree that the results of this 'test run' have left me quite…disappointed and dissatisfied. I was expecting something more."

His benefactor's condescending words continued in his memory as his hold on his hair tightened further, the bandage wrapped around his head loosening a bit at the act, and his eyes continued to blaze with the emotion that had remained prominent in his heart for the past months.

His gaze landed on the plans for the Automatons he had spread after his benefactor had left. And though he looked at them, he saw nothing but red and found that, at the state he was currently in, he could not comprehend his own notes.

"Perhaps it was the environment? The weather might have done something to their circuitry? Perhaps it deteriorated the metal plating of their armor?" He knew they sounded like excuses, but he simply couldn't believe and accept that his creations had flaws. "I do not believe they would have been defeated otherwise!"

"That is something that you should be able to answer yourself, is it not? They are your creations. And as your creations I expect them to be better next time."

"Next time?"

"Yes. Your Automata still have their use, but only if you can make them even more…durable. For them to be taken out merely hours after they attacked, not even lasting until daybreak? That is rather quite pathetic. Wouldn't you say so?"

He had to admit, even only to himself, it was.

His benefactor had left soon after that as well, leaving him with nothing but the words "I have already given you the means to improve on your designs, Hiroshi. Use it." followed by the threatening, "Do not fail me again".

Those words were the reason why he had taken the plans for the Automatons out of the hidden safe he had in his office.

What were they talking about? He wondered to himself, again and again, his mind tried to figure out the meaning behind those words he had been left with, even with the haze of anger clouding much of his better judgment. Hiroshi didn't remember being given anything by their benefactor in regards with his Automata Project. Everything he had used in them had been of his own design; everything had been the product of his own brilliant mind.

But, he told himself, I will figure this out. And when I do, my Automata will be even stronger. They will be perfected! And nothing will stand in their—and my—way again!


She felt drained, physically and mentally.

Four days had passed and things were beginning to brighten up for Zaofu and its survivors. They were a strong and resilient bunch. It wasn't just the Bei Fongs. Even the ordinary citizens were pushing through their shared traumatic experience. Though their eyes still had the lingering ghosts of the events from the night of the attack, and still showed signs of sleeplessness, there was still fire in them borne from the desire and thankfulness to be alive.

And though Asami Sato's specialty was not in building—or rebuilding—houses and architecture, seeing the people of Zaofu do their best with the lot they have been given propelled her to do the same. Days since the attack had been spent between learning about the architecture of Zaofu and how it was built, through the guidance of Opal's father and grandmother, and using this new-found knowledge to help rebuild the city. She had also taken it upon herself to use her own specialty and assist Opal and her family get things back together again for the common people, designing and creating machinery that helped with the heavy lifting. Her nights, on the other hand, were spent worrying about the state of the Avatar, who had remained unconscious since. This had allowed her little to no sleep.

It wasn't as though she had no choice but to look after Korra. Truth be told, she had been scolded one too many times by the others—even the Light Spirit, for goodness' sake—whenever they saw her foregoing rest and had found herself being forced to go to bed several times. Other times, she found her feet simply taking her to Korra's bedside and before she knew it, it was there she had uncomfortably fallen asleep, despite her bed being a few steps away.

The young Prodigy couldn't hide the fact that she was worried, though. She didn't know if this was the norm. If all those times back at the Fire Nation Palace when Korra didn't want to see anyone was because she couldn't, or if this was the first time she had slept for so long.

Not for the first time Bai Hu's words echoed in her mind. They were words she wished she didn't get to hear. Words she wished she could just forget.

But, despite the desire to dismiss those words from her mind, Asami understood why she had been told and why she had to keep those words to heart…to some extent. Someone had to look after the Avatar. Not just in the moments when she was vulnerable, but rather, from that moment on.

Because no one is going to look out for her, Human Child. Not even herself. Though she falters, she had resigned herself to her fate.

It was Bai Hu's words, one of the many, spoken in a way that she would understand.

The path has already been chosen. There is no escaping it. The Hand of Darkness will seize every opportunity that comes their way. They will claw their way to victory, if they must, if only to attain it. Much is being asked of you both. And before all of this is done, a greater sacrifice will be asked still. The sun must set before a new dawn arises. As is. As it should. Nerriungnerk akkituyok, Nerriungnerk tamatkerpok. Aglaan ungayok nerriukpok, salaksarpok, iglutuiruk, pamma taimma ilannaaktaaktuk.

Asami didn't want to think about the final phrases of Bai Hu's words were. She knew what they had meant thanks to The Avatar's Gift that she had been given, although at that moment she had wished she didn't.

There were more Bai Hu shared, but those were even more difficult to fathom and accept. She knew she had to. There was no lie in them, as far as Asami could tell.

And based from what Korra insinuated, she sighed as she made her way down the halls of the Bei Fong Mansion that was currently being renovated, hands overflowing with rolled up architectural designs that she and Lord Bataar had come up with.

The Mansion was abuzz with people scurrying along to fix the many damages it had sustained. She waved at some whom she had gotten to know and gave a polite smile at those whom she hadn't but did know her. Compared to how they were acting prior to the attack, almost all of the denizens of Zaofu were now kinder and friendlier towards her. There no longer seemed to be anything that kept them back or made them wary of her.

I suppose that's only natural, she told herself as she continued on her way to deliver the modified housing plans.

Having taken the route several times before, Asami had memorized the labyrinthine-like passages of the Bei Fong Mansion by heart. Whereas she once would easily get lost in the myriad of hallways, rooms, and stairwells, now she could navigate through with ease, even when lost in thought. It was why she wasn't worried. Still, the young Prodigy was mindful of her surroundings. It kept her from bumping into anyone or anything along the way.

Her mind darted between thoughts of Korra and of the exchange she and Opal had upon the conclusion of the battle several nights prior.

It was shortly after the whole fiasco with those strange puppet-like contraptions. Opal, who was in the midst of the smoke and fire and debris that littered the battlefield that was the Bei Fong Manor's basement, had limped her way towards the Prodigy. There was worry in her face that morphed into frustration that paved way for her to speak with a hint of venom towards her best friend.

"Where were you!?" The young Historian had hissed, taking her by the arm a little bit roughly, and keeping her from immediately following where they were taking the unconscious Avatar.

Dumbly, all Asami could respond with was an "I was with Korra.", remembering the promise she had made not to divulge what she had come to learn about Korra and her...situation. Still, she pressed on with what she could share. "We went to investigate the strange fog by the marshlands...and we found the Guardian of the Elemental Spirit of the Earth there."

The young heiress then motioned to the old woman checking up on the wounded and leaving them with a gawping look on their faces.

"Your grandmother," Asami had ventured. "She's the guardian."

Opal could barely remember her grandmother. And so when Asami told her that, not only was her grandmother still alive—which was so very much different from what her mother had told her growing up: that her grandmother had perished before she was born—but that she was also the person they were looking for in their journey, it was only natural to see the incredulity that marred the features of the youngest Bei Fong.

But when Lady Suyin had slowly made her way to Lady Toph, and when Opal saw her mother shed a tear as her knees buckled and she surged forward and hugged the older woman, that expression on her face wavered slowly to shock.

Asami didn't know what words were exchanged between the two, older women, but amid the hubbub and the remnants of chaos around them, there was a semblance of peace. Both Asami and Opal watched as Lady Toph and Lady Suyin made their way towards the hallway at the back of the large room—the very same place that they had been defending minutes prior—and they disappeared towards the room at the far end of it.

"I had been looking for you," Opal's words had been soft and she had yet to look at her friend once more. "I went to your room but Duo Xing said you and Korra were 'out on a stroll'." There was an eye-roll that accompanied those words now that Opal knew the truth of where the two had gone off to.

Asami had braced herself for whatever teasing Opal might have up her sleeves, but none came. Foregoing the notion to make fun of her friend, the young History and Literature Major instead said, "I need your help with something very important."

Tired as Asami was at that time, hearing the pleading tone that accompanied Opal's words made her forget her own fatigue for the moment. She had figured the request would be in regards to helping rebuild Zaofu and the Bei Fong's Mansion, and even though architecture was not her forte, Asami was willing to hit the books and do everything she could to help if that was what was needed of her.

That was the reason why Opal's actual request floored her.

"I need your help in getting Korra's aid."

Opal dragged her, tired as they both were, towards the very same room Lady Toph and Lady Suyin had gone. Asami had no idea what to expect within, but knowing that the Bei Fongs had built their final defenses around that hallway and that room was enough for the Avatar's Chosen to understand that what lay within was something important. And it was there that she saw the sad state Chief Bei Fong was in.

"What happened to her?" Asami asked, voice barely above a whisper as she and Opal stood at the back of the room while Lady Toph and Lady Suyin crowded around the catatonic Republic City Chief of Police.

"My brothers found Aunt Lin kept prisoner in a dingy cell, Asami. They said it looked as though she had been kept there for a long time, hands and feet bound by chains to a wall."

"Tarrlok?" It was the only person Asami could think of that would do something like that. After all, he was the one behind Opal's abduction as well.

Opal's face hardened with an expression the Avatar's Chosen had not seen in a very long while: rage. And even before the young Historian gave her answer, Asami knew that it would be an affirmative. She listened as Opal recounted—in a hushed voice—how her Aunt Lin had been found after weeks of searching and spying with the aid of Lu, Gang, and Gommu, lying lifeless and prone on the ground, ankles chained to a wall, abandoned in an underground storage facility; how Republic City had turned into a city filled with fear as a masked man who went by the name 'Amon' had seized control of the city and had forced those who were in power into hiding or to ultimately end up missing—which was what had happened to the corrupt councilman. She also spoke of how Gang had exhausted all of his contacts in search of the Councilman and how Lu and Gommu had staked out the cottage where they had heard someone prominent was being kept and how that person had been Tarrlok.

Opal told Asami such a tale that left her grasping for words. It was just too much to take in, especially when the events with Bai Hu were taken into account as well. She really wanted to rest, not just her body but her mind.

"Lu and Gommu, along with the others that were with them stormed the cottage and freed Tarrlok," Opal ended her long-winded story. "Now, he's locked up in one of the cells."

"Tarrlok is here?"

A nod. "They brought him here. Apparently, they arrived an hour before the attack. He's the only one who may have answers to what happened to Aunt Lin, after all. But, the journey from Republic City and his own captivity must have taken a toll on him since he's still out cold."

Asami's frown deepened. Despite everything she had heard, she still couldn't understand one thing:

"What do you need Korra for, then? Do you want her to threaten Tarrlok?" Asami didn't doubt Korra could be effective in terrorizing and antagonizing the ex-Councilman. "I think Korra would relish that opportunity, really."

As before, the Prodigy waited for the Historian to jump at the chance for some levity at the expense of the Avatar. But, Opal didn't. Her eyes remained fixated on her aunt's corpse-like state. When Opal did finally speak, her voice and her words carried enough weight and volume in them that Lady Toph—and no doubt Lady Suyin as well—heard what she had said.

"I need Korra to heal Aunt Lin."

There was a heartbeat of silence wherein Asami looked at Opal with a start. Despite the foundations of a question molding itself in her mind, the Avatar's Chosen was unable to vocalize it as Opal continued on with what she had to say.

"Mother has already gone to a number of doctors and healers and none of them can tell what caused Aunt Lin to end up like this." she waved her hand at Lin Bei Fong's direction. "All they could say was that whatever it was, was not normal. And there's nothing and no one else we—" she then gestured towards her mother, "—could think of who could help except for Korra." She looked at Asami then, her eyes pleading. "Korra can heal her, right? I mean, Korra has her Water-Bending and the Spirit Water, right? Maybe she can use it on Aunt Lin and—"

Whatever it was Opal was to say next was cut by the sharp and loud voice of her grandmother.

"No," Lady Toph spoke, surprising everyone as she angled her body enough that she was able to look at her granddaughter through unseeing eyes. "You will not bring Korra into this and Asami will not help you in getting Korra to do anything about this."

"What?" Opal asked just as Lady Suyin equally voiced out her surprise.

The Guardian of the Elemental Spirit of the Earth turned fully to face Opal then. She was stone-faced, her lips a hard line. Asami wanted to argue for the sake of Opal and her family, but she knew why Lady Toph had disagreed with their plea.

They couldn't let the Avatar use her powers willy-nilly.

Not even for this.

Not even if it meant helping a friend.

Once again Bai Hu's words of warning echoed in the young prodigy's mind like a broken record: "Preserve the Avatar's strength, waning as it may be. Make certain she makes it to the other Elemental Seals. Make certain she unlocks them...before it is too late for her and for both our worlds and our kind."

Asami could only ball her fists in helplessness and frustration as she watched the Bei Fong women argue. It didn't take long after that for Lady Toph to ask her to leave and she was ushered out of the room with the door locking behind her.

The memory of that night—of what she saw, what she was asked to do, and what argument she heard—caused Asami to stop dead on her tracks, her grip on the architectural plans in her hands tightened. It wasn't for the first time that she fervently wished things were different; that Korra circumstances were not as they were and that she could act on the request her best friend had asked of her. It was also not the first time she wanted to curse at Tarrlok for doing whatever it was that he did to Chief Bei Fong.

With a sigh, the porcelain-skinned, young woman forced herself to walk once more to her destination. Though her mind battled with wishful thinking and what-ifs, and even with her heart heavily burdened by her inability to help Opal, she knew she couldn't wallow on it for much longer than she already had. She had to push on, just like what the people of Zaofu were doing.

Korra and I may not be able to do anything for Chief Bei Fong right now, she morosely thought to herself as she made her way to the room being occupied by the local architects who had volunteered to fix Zaofu, "but there is something I can do for Zoafu and her people."


Dreaming.

It was a foreign concept to her, though one that Opal and Asami had explained on one occasion. She had been confused then. 'To dream about something' and 'to be in a dream', they had said, were different things.

One was to hope for something. The other, acting as an illusion brought by the unconscious mind. The two humans she had been with had gone on a length explaining it to her as best they could when they learned she did not have a dream nor had she ever dreamt about something.

"How is that difficult to fathom?" she had asked. "I do not sleep. I have no need for it. As such, I have never experienced being in a dream. And what is the point of dreaming about something? Whatever I desire, I could obtain. I am the Avatar, after all. I am not left wanting, the people of Nia Bayou make certain of that."

Of course, that was before. Before the Four Great Elemental Spirit Lords had been ripped away from her; before she had slowly regressed from being the omnipotent vessel of Raava—her human incarnation—to something more closely resembling a mortal.

Fatigue and hunger were now common to her when, once upon a time, she need not rest nor eat, the Spirits sustaining her. Where once she did not feel pain—her threshold for it much higher than a normal human's—now, her body was wracked by it from time to time.

And, where once she did not dream, now she found herself doing so: both in the context of 'dreaming about something' and 'being in a dream'.

Her dreams—her aspirations, her hopes, her wishes—she found were selfish in nature. At least, that is what she thought they were: selfish and better kept in the dark, kept hidden from all. The things she wanted made her feel ashamed for wanting. It made her feel like, in desiring them, she was following the same footsteps—the same mistakes—as her predecessor: the Avatar that came before, Aang.

And Korra did not want that. No matter how much the Guardians of the Elemental Seal of Fire and the Earth had spoken of Aang in a way that was different from the knowledge she had of him; no matter how much Katara had tried to sway her ill feelings and push them all away; she felt compelled to stick to what she knew of the him.

Perhaps it was pride that was keeping her from changing her mind, as the old man Zuko had once insinuated, but it felt more than that. It felt like—as she heard Asami say before—a gut feeling. She would like to think she was not that petty, after all.

But she would be lying if she did not admit to the sway—the call, the pull—of those desires. She found herself questioning, more than once, if this was part of being human and thereafter cursing how she had turned into one.

As for the substance of the dreams she had while asleep, they were of varying nature. Though, most of the time she could hardly remember them, fleeting as they are. Still, despite experiencing these—should they be called 'sensations'? Korra had wondered at a time—they were still among the things she kept close to her heart, away from those she had been traveling with and had grown fond of...even Asami.

So, Korra knew a thing or two about 'dreaming about something' and 'being in a dream', not only because it had been explained to her, but because she had experienced them herself.

It was why she was acutely aware—which was, of itself, quite strange already—that she was not dreaming lucidly or otherwise.

Yet, she was also not awake. She was certain of that.

For one, she doubted there was anywhere in the worlds she knew—mortal or spiritual, or in the in-between—that housed such a space as the one she found herself floating in, like a leaf forever gently falling but never reaching the ground.

Secondly, she felt a strange sensation of non-existence. It was like she was there, but at the same time she was not. So difficult was it to put into words that she struggled to explain it even to herself, this...being and yet not existing. Like standing and balancing on a tightrope where each movement, each sway, felt like one's existence was flickering in and out.

And time...time had no concept there. Not that she could tell, at the very least. The here, the now, the past, the present, the what was, the what is, the what will be...it was like everything and nothing was happening to her all at once.

Yet, despite how tumultuous it should have been—how contradictory—there was...peace. It was that peacefulness she found solace in but also feared.

As soon as the thought of peace entered her mind, however, did she feel a disturbance in the air—or whatever the equivalent of it was in that place. It carried with it a warning that she was no longer alone in that space.

Friend or foe? She could not tell what its allegiances were. Like her, in that place, this other being seemed to be unsteady as well, standing between the precipice of being and nonbeing. But, what was most interesting and most alarming of all was that she felt tethered to them. It was unlike how it was with her Chosen, for this connection felt intrinsically deeper than that. Like they were connected to the core.

And whomever—or whatever—this entity was, was pulling her further and deeper in, beckoning for her to come and leaving her with no choice but be compelled to do so.

In the blink of an eye—perhaps it was longer, she was not certain—she found herself standing before a swirling vortex of light and darkness and a feeling of familiarity so potent telling her that she should know what she was looking at.

The urge to stick her hand into it was strong, but one that she kept at bay as the light and darkness convulsed and pulsed together in an entrancing dance. She felt hypnotized to watch, and so she did, thinking that it was a much safer thing to do than sticking her hand in.

Perhaps it was because she was so caught up by the mesmerizing sight that she did not notice it at first. But, when it did, what she saw startled her.

A pair of eyes—bright and glowing; knowing and deep—like the reflection of a blue sky on clear waters, evoking within her a sense of peace, calmness, and clarity. She knew who those eyes belonged to, but at the same time, that knowledge seemed to flit between her mind's grasps unwilling to come to light and be held at the moment.

As she looked deeply in those unwavering eyes—being pulled by them—she felt as though the person it belonged to was telling her something. This was despite those bright orbs being devoid of any emotion.

Suddenly, she felt pain radiating from the entirety of her right arm. It was the first time she felt anything physical in that place and it was enough for her to buckle over. Had she not been floating, she was certain she would have fallen to her knees at the intensity of it. Moreover, it was a pain worse than anything she had ever felt thus far.

Her vision began to blur, tears stinging her eyes. A second later and the pain intensified excruciatingly that the scream she had been holding in, came forth, loud and deafening in that otherwise silent place before her vision darkened and she lost consciousness.

Had she been able to withstand the pain for even a second longer, she would have seen that through the swirling vortex of light and shadow, the owner of those glowing eyes had stretched forth their arm and their hand in a motion to grab at something…

And, if there had been anyone else in that place to witness such a scene and had they been attentive to what was happening, they would have also noticed the fingers in that hand slowly breaking through the whirling mass of light and darkness.


Chapter End Notes:

So, that's that for this chapter and I've got a couple of things to say about it.

First off, the second part (Asami's) of this chapter took me a while to complete that I, quite honestly, skipped writing it the first time around while I drafted the chapter. I knew where I wanted to go with it, but I didn't have the muse to pull it off as I wanted. So, it took a couple of runs and so many times of deleting large chunks of paragraphs before I finally found the flow I wanted to go with. As you guys know, the entire story has been plotted out and it's just the execution of those bullet points that I have been working on.

Second, considering Asami has received the Avatar's Gift, I feel like I shouldn't keep the ancient language (and their meanings) much of a secret. Like I did with this chapter, though, I wouldn't be translating everything the spirits say. I'll leave some lines in the ancient tongue in the chapter, but I will be translating what they say/mean here in the End Notes. So, basically, that last line from Bai Hu ("Nerriungnerk akkituyok, Nerriungnerk tamatkerpok. Aglaan ungayok nerriukpok, salaksarpok, iglutuiruk, pamma taimma ilannaaktaaktuk") [very] roughly translates to... (dun, dun, dun, duuuuun): "Hope costs much, Hope takes all. But love hopes, overcomes, endures, where there is none at all." I'm leaving you guys to how you'd want to interpret that (and the rest of what Bai Hu said to Asami). :D

Lastly, I am not going to say anything about the last part. The cliffy I purposely left will be "resolved" in the next chapter. #SorryNotSorry That's just how I roooolll!

So, yeah. There you guys have it. The 76th chapter of this epic, done. I wish I could give you guys a concrete schedule on when I'd be able to update again, but with how things are now, I'm not all that sure myself (the struggle is real!). I have to balance everything from finding a new job, working on my YouTube channel, and life in general, as well as writing so, yeah...I do hope to be able to update within a week or so. I really do.

Anyways, thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoyed what I could offer in this chapter!
Until the next one, dream on; fly on!

Addendum: For those who want to maybe help a little bit with my situation, my ko-fi page is at /iamvianca. I'm trying to revamp that page as well to offer exclusive stuff for supporters (I would have done this in my page, but I am still at a loss with , so ko-fi it is!) like artworks, sneak peeks for chapters, and a bunch of other things I'm in the process of working out.